


you say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

by salvatorestjohn



Series: Rarepair Rowboat [8]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Broken Engagement, Canon Related, Crossover Pairings, F/F, Pre-Particle Accelerator Explosion (The Flash TV 2014), Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23902591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvatorestjohn/pseuds/salvatorestjohn
Summary: Liz is happily engaged. Until the particle accelerator explodes.
Relationships: Liz Ortecho/Caitlin Snow
Series: Rarepair Rowboat [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693537
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	you say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

"I can't believe it's really happening," Liz breathes out, smiling in awe at the computer screens. She shakes her head. "I mean, after so many months, you guys have finally done it. You've really built a whole particle accelerator, that's--"

She just exhales again in disbelief, turning to look up at Caitlin, who's watching her with a smile.

"It's amazing," Liz says, straightening up. " _You_ are amazing. You know you're probably about to change science as we know it, right?"

Caitlin shrugs, but her eyes are dancing with joy and barely contained excitement.

"If it works," she says, almost like she's trying not to let herself be too hopeful. "And, stop talking about this like you weren't a part of it. This is your achievement, too."

Liz scoffs, starting to shake her head again as she waves a hand at the screens. "No, I was only assisting, and barely, at that. You, and Cisco, Ronnie, and Harrison. Hell, even Hartley. You guys did this."

"We've been working at S.T.A.R. Labs together for years, Liz. You are just as much a part of this project as we are. So..."

Liz raises an eyebrow as Caitlin holds up a hand to tell her to wait, walking backwards, then quickly turns and swipes two champagne flutes from the tray. She happily accepts one from her with a grateful smile.

"...let's celebrate this together," Caitlin finishes.

" _Just_ that?" Liz questions, teasing. She holds out her hand and eyes the shining ring on her finger with exaggeration. "I mean, I'd say we have a couple of things to celebrate."

Caitlin laughs, the sound settling into a beautiful smile that shines with pure happiness.

_Because of me_ , Liz realizes, at least partially. The thought stirs something inside of her. Her heart feels a little more secure.

"Just a few more months," Caitlin says softly.

"And then" --Liz moves forward, closing the few steps of a gap between them with mischief in her eyes, leaning in close until flicking her eyes down to Caitlin's pink-tinted lips makes her near cross-eyed-- "I officially get to call you my wife. I'm definitely celebrating that one."

She leans in the rest of the way, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

Caitlin's ears have turned the same shade as her lipstick, her cheeks following suit. An adorable sight that never fails to brighten Liz's day a little bit.

"So am I," Caitlin says. "And tonight, as soon as the particle accelerator has launched, we'll be on our way out of here. Promise."

Liz hums, smile growing. "Good."

She lifts her glass and Caitlin clinks her own against it before both taking a drink. Liz leans into her side, her head falling onto her shoulder. Caitlin's arm easily winds around her and she rests her cheek on top of her head, watching the countdown for the launch with excitement. For the accelerator, for their future.

~

No one could have predicted the launch going so wrong. It went from cheering at their success to sirens wailing throughout the whole building and frantic shouts and running around trying to stop it from blowing.

Liz and Caitlin tried to fix it from above, but they were both at a loss. Cisco couldn't fix it.

Ronnie got trapped in the pipeline trying to stop it from in there. Killed from the explosion.

Harrison was paralyzed from the waist down.

Even after all these months, Liz can barely believe any of it. She can't even begin to figure out where it all went wrong. And Caitlin's been obsessed; some guy who got struck by lightning at the time of the explosion and has been in a coma ever since. Harrison brought him to S.T.A.R. Labs and Caitlin's barely left the building since, claiming that she has to keep a close eye on him.

Liz knows she's still grieving. She is, too. She's been watching her and Cisco throw themselves into their jobs--jobs that don't even exist anymore now that S.T.A.R. Labs are hated by all of Central City for the people who got injured and killed.

It's just not working. Caitlin won't talk to her anymore, not in a way that matters. She's quiet. Distant. Always like she's deep in thought about something, far away somewhere else. Away from Liz.

It's not her fault, and Liz knows that. She's tried so hard for months now. But communication is impossible. Any talk of the wedding or even leaving Central for a break gets shut down without room for debate. She even said that she doesn't need Liz's help with coma guy when she tried to offer.

Liz has tried. But she can't anymore. Her job at S.T.A.R. Labs is gone. There's no way to get another one in Central City, not when everyone knows she was associated with the particle accelerator.

Leaving feels like the only way to get a fresh start from all of it. Including Caitlin.

But it's for the best, she tells herself while packing up her things in the middle of the night, trying to see through the blur of tears. They're both miserable like this.

She stops in the hallway, ready to go. All of the lights are out. Caitlin's still sleeping in their bed. Her bed.

Drawing in a shaking breath, Liz looks down at her left hand. They're even shakier as she slowly slides the ring from her finger.

The second that it's off, her heart shatters. Or at least, it feels like it. Millions of tiny shards of glass crumbling, falling like snow and cutting her insides on the way. Numbing her from the inside out like ice.

"I'm sorry, Cait," she whispers. For herself. She needs to have said it, even if Caitlin never hears it. She won't hear from her ever again. It would just cause unnecessary pain for the both of them.

Unable to draw it out any longer for fear of breaking down entirely, she sets the ring on the table next to her. Then she quickly pulls her eyes from it and opens the front door, walking out as a silent sob tears her throat.

It's for the best, she tells herself, repeating it with the click of the door behind her and every step she takes that leads her further and further away, and when she drives past a sign telling her she's miles away before it hits sunrise.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to post another one of these here until I had finished an actual fic so that I could break it up a little, but this was such a good one!! I just love how easy it is to work into both shows plots! And Liz/Caitlin? Hell yeah! Honestly, I'm kinda tempted to write more for this AU... would anyone want that? Or just me? Usually just me.


End file.
